"There is a lot of demand for coloured hardwax oil and coloured oil. This applies to stairs, furniture and wooden floors," says the CEO of this company that was founded in 1952. "The question that follows almost automatically is why this is so. If you ask me, you simply have to look at how much the market demands naturalness today. End users want natural surfaces and these oils are an excellent response to that."

Naturalness and ease of use
Of course, there has to be more to naturalness. In these times when time is money, a quick finish is crucial. In other words, products must be as easy to use as possible. That, too, turns out to be a huge advantage.

"We only need two coats and in exceptional cases three. If you compare that to a lacquer, you do much better than the classic five layers or more. You can even apply it in one layer, but we don't recommend that because then the quality is not guaranteed and you mainly risk not having enough resistance against moisture, spilt liquids like red wine, and so on. If you want good resistance, it is better to apply two or three times."

"Also the nature of the colour has its influence on the finish. The darker the colour, the more likely you will have to apply three coats. The explanation for this is simple, as a manufacturer you cannot put enough pigments in the transparent layer. So it is better to apply the colour twice, followed by a final transparent layer. Sometimes, by the way, the floor is delivered finished, but then you have to apply oil one more time after installation, after you have treated everything with a maintenance product."

Sustainability and renewable resources
A good product is also one that contains as few, and preferably no, harmful products as possible. Here, too, a great deal of work has been done, so that it can now be said that only products with 100% renewable raw materials are supplied. In this context, Mr Hochstein refers to the company's philosophy.

"The focus of Prolignum's product development is on combining the latest technologies with traditional ecological raw materials. The development started with Pro-Natura Oil, which distinguishes itself from other wood oils by a number of innovative properties. Thanks to the high level of product innovation, our Prolignum products offer the highest quality with simple application and economical consumption. After the success of the oil we continued to work on an extensive range for the entire interior."